San Diego Sunshine

The weathermen in San Diego are pretty much bored. It is the same old song every day: “Sunny and 70, Folks”. Out of the 365 days of the calendar year, San Diego’s average temperature is 63 degrees with 266 sunny days per year. Yet, that is such a lovely kind of boredom…and oh so pleasant. No wonder San Diego is such an intriguing tourist destination and the weathermen have such great job security; they are correct almost every day. The sun and surf are terrific, but you don’t have to be a sun-worshiper to enjoy all the sights and activities that this California city has to offer. An addition to enjoying the beautiful ocean views and beach, there are also many “must-sees” in the city itself.

Old Town Trolley Tours

My oldest son moved there several years ago, so I have been to visit this city many times and have favorites sights that I love to return to time and again. If you are just becoming introduced to the city, a great place to start is the Old Time Trolley Tours. They take you to 10 different stops throughout the city including: Balboa Park, San Diego Zoo, the famous Hotel Del Coronado, the Maritime ship museum on the waterfront and many more. The trolleys have a “Hop on, Hop off” system that allow you to see what you want and visit your preferred sites at your leisure. In addition to getting a great overview of some of the key sights in the city, the trolley drivers share a multitude of interesting historical info and trivia. Did you know that San Diego is actually the “Birthplace of California”. In June of 1769, the first Spanish presidio and mission was established by the San Diego River making it the oldest European settlement on the west coast of the U.S. In tribute to the rich history of San Diego, it’s very fitting that the Trolley Tours would be based out of Old Town. Established today as Old Town San Diego, the site commemorates life in San Diego from 1821 to 1872. It includes shopping, restaurants,museums and the logical start for the trolley tours. You can purchase tickets at any of the 10 stops, but Old Town is the main facility and the starting and ending point for the tours.

Being so close to the emerald waters of the beautiful Pacific, when in San Diego one must really check out several of the beaches there. Coronado, by the infamous Hotel Coronado, is one of the most scenic, pristine beaches in the area. Mission Beach and Oceanside Beach are loved and frequented by both locals and tourists. Of course shops for beach gear and souvenirs are readily found at both.

Brown Pelican~ San Diego Harbor

If the beach scene isn’t quite your thing, you can still enjoy the Pacific with the many day cruises available. Depending on the time of year, a whale watching tour can be an excellent choice because from December thru the beginning of March, the whale migration patterns skirt the San Diego coastline. I recently took a 4 hour whale watching tour with great success: we saw several whales breech. In addition to the grey whales we spotted an abundance of other sea life including dolphins, sea lions, pelicans and cormorants. My bird watching senses were on full alert. It’s hard to capture in a photograph a grey whale breeching, but it is easy to see and photograph the brown pelicans flying around. At first glance they seem like awkward creatures, but in flight they are rather majestic. It is also truly amazing how big some of them get. For more information on the whale watching tour, you can check out their web site at: http://www.flagshipsd.com

Cabrillo National Monument

Having a passion for our National Parks, I would be remiss if I did not mention San Diego’s National Park site: The Cabrillo National Monument. It celebrates the natural and cultural history of the area. Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo was the first Eurpoean, in 1542, to set foot on a “very good enclosed port”. In addition to telling the story about the 16th century exploration, a visitor can take in a terrific view of the Pacific from Point Loma, and also a lighthouse is on the premises. The Point Loma Lighthouse was originally built in 1855. It ceased operation in 1891, but is open to the public today as a museum. It may be a small, seemingly insignificant lighthouse, but it has many interesting stories behind it. During the time of its operation, it was at the highest elevation of any lighthouse in the United States. (Impressive!)

The California Tower and the Museum of Man~ Balboa Park

So I saved my very favorite feature of San Diego for last: Balboa Park. It holds the title as the nation’s largest urban cultural park. Every single time I go, it never fails to amaze and awe me. Bird of Paradise flowers, exotic trees, jeweled mosaics in the architectures, fountains and of course an array of interesting people to watch. In addition to the natural beauty found in the park, there are 17 museums. The museums have something for everyone from art and photography to anthropology, aerospace and even a model railroad museum for all the train buffs out there! Also, within the park boundaries is the world famous San Diego Zoo. It is hard to spend only oneday at Balboa Park to try to take it all in. I have been there several times, and every time I go there are new surprises and delights.

So, San Diego is highly recommended as a travel destination. Remember that travel and tourism is San Diego’s third top industry (behind manufacturing and the military) So they want you to have a great time. Put your traveling shoes on. JES

6 Comments on “San Diego Sunshine”

Hi Julie, i wonder if you will get this if I use this format to try and comment. Very nice and interesting blog posting. I enjoyed San Diego when we were there, but that was a loooong time ago. and not since Jeff moved there. Sounds like you all had a grand time.

If any of you out there are interested and live in the Amery, WI area I will be presenting a history of the NPS at the Amery H.S. Date is March 22nd beginning at 6:30 pm. Meeting location is in the school library. Hope to see you there! Kevin Iverson

For those of you who live in the Amery, WI I will be presenting a history of the NPS at the Amery H.S. library on Thursday, March 22 beginning at 6:30. You will have to register through Amery Community Education. Website: http://www.amerysd.k12.wi.us/district/dist_commed.cfm

For all of you who follow this blog I am presenting a program on the history of the NPS on March 22 in the Amery H.S. library from 6:30-8. If you are interested you can register with Amery Community Education. Here is their website link: http://www.amerysd.k12.wi.us/district/dist_commed.cfm See you there!